LGDP Update - Issue 1

UPDATE NO. 1, February 26, 2007

AusAID’s Local Governance Development Program:

Advocating progress for Metro Iloilo and Guimaras

The Local Government Development Program (LGDP) Phase I, an initiative of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), is assisting the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) to become a cohesive local area development partnership of local governments of Iloilo City, Province of Guimaras and the municipalities of Oton, Pavia, Leganes, San Miguel and Sta Barbara. Province of Iloilo.

The LGDP Phase 1 commenced in October 2006 and will run until November 2007. One of the activities of the LGDP is to local project priorities based on information derived from stakeholder workshops to define key priorities. These planning workshops were designed to identify common needs that can be described in terms of packages of assistance to be supported by LGDP. These packages would ultimately contribute to sustained improvements in the local economy and lead to poverty alleviation and better basic service delivery.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, MIGEDC chairperson and Guimaras Governor J.C. Rahman Nava, are credited for supporting Metro Iloilo Guimaras development and growth through the LGDP. With their support, Iloilo City, the neighboring municipalities of Oton, Pavia, Leganes, San Miguel and Sta Barbara and Province of Guimaras have now emerged as among the local governments in the country with an energized economy and populace.
Change, progress and development that will bring Iloilo City, the metro towns involved and the Province of Guimaras closer to the change progress and development aimed by the Western Visayas region in particular and the nation in general.

MIGEDC has championed the cause of improved and effective Official Development Assistance (ODA). Contributing lifeblood to the developing and struggling economies of LGUs, the ODA when better-used and best-managed spells the big difference with respect to capacity-building.

The council has consistently advocated such with efforts paying off in numerous major ODA-assisted projects poured in MIGEDC member LGUs.

In Metro Iloilo, there are a number of big development projects such as the Iloilo Flood Control Project and New Iloilo Airport Development Project of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). There is also the World Bank-Iloilo City Development Strategies, Solid Waste Management of the GTZ and the Metro Iloilo Road Network Improvement Project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In Guimaras, ODA projects poured in are the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) Department of Health (DOH) Integrated Community Health Services Project. There is also the ADB’s Third Elementary and Secondary Education Programs. In both areas, the Canadian International Development Agency, through its governance programs such as the Urban Partnerships Program Philippines and the Local Government Support Program has enhanced the governance capacities in various areas.

Lesson from Iloilo PDF Forum

Harmonization and coordination of ODA through local “aid architect”

“Harmonization is essential at the LGU level particularly with respect to capacity building,” the PDF WG statement went. “It was observed that LGUs with better-managed Official Development Assistance (ODA) are relatively better-off in increasing their assistance portfolio relative to others.”
Aimed at improving aid effectiveness, a workshop dubbed “Forum on Enhancing Coordination and Management of Official Development Assistance (ODA) by LGUs,” was organized last January 25 and 26, 2007 was realized through the Philippines Development Forum Working Group on Decentralization and Local Government (PDF WG).

Commitments from donors are needed by the council to back current initiatives for regional economic development. Officials and key personalities of Local Government Units (LGUs) under the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) converged for a two-day forum in Iloilo City.
The forum was yet another opportunity that brought together the donor community, the non-government agencies involved and local partners in various LGUs. The gathering had opened the doors for more solid discussion on the strategies and programs of the MIGEDC particularly those on infrastructure, local economic development works, basic services, local finance, capacity building and other related development concerns. The Forum also identified “best practices” that may be used as case studies by member MIGEDC cities and municipalities.
This meeting had produced the following assessment and recommendations:

A. On Metro Iloilo Guimaras

1. Rapid urbanization and economic development in Metro Iloilo Guimaras (MIG) are happening but there seems to be some underinvestment in infrastructure which is posing serious threats to economic and environmental development of the MIG region. Planning and road network improvement, common ports development, environmental infrastructures are priorities of the MIG; while there are major infrastructure investments made in the region, these investments are implemented on “piece meal” approach
2. The MIG does not have reliable poverty data and other statistics as basis for policy development and decision making

B. On MIGEDC

1. Urban leadership and championship with wholistic view of the issues of the city-region were considered as success factors of MIGEDC, these are pre-conditions for effective aid management
2. The proposed MIGEDC projects were not prioritized, their importance were not evaluated considering their lack of adequate financial resources
3. There is still some unclear (or lack of) policies and guidelines governing inter-local government undertakings in the Philippines; MIGEDC’s operations are affected by the lack of these policies

C. On ODA Projects

1. Numerous ODA projects are tackling infrastructure needs; majority of these ODA projects are implemented by NGAs which involve individual LGUs
2. ODA information are monitored by regional NGAs, specifically NEDA; these information are shared when requested
3. ODA coordination at local level is either semi-formal to informal; LGU participates through consultation meetings, information gathering and counterpart funds and M and E
4. The LGUs have inadequate knowledge of effective ODA management; leading to inadequate capacity to support ODA project implementation

D. Recommendations

1. Set up ‘mini-PDF’ at the MIG level to enable PDF to look at local level issues in donor coordination in order to avoid duplication in projects;
2. Numerous ODA and foreign assisted projects need to be strategically linked or aligned to priorities consistent with making Metro Iloilo Guimaras as competitive region
3. There is a need for an “aid architect” at local level to design and facilitate ODA coordination

As result of the forum, the MIGEDC hopes to demonstrate donor coordination by implementing four packages of assistance, with support of AusAID LGDP, as avenues for local capacity building and donor coordination. These packages include:

1. Tourism Planning. Tourism has been a major economic driver of the regional economy. The proposed project, which hopes to support regional economic growth and poverty reduction through integrated tourism planning.
2. Integrated Urban Planning. The MIGEDC is implementing an integrated planning of urban infrastructure development projects to help in addressing the challenges of metropolitan growth in Metro Iloilo and Guimaras. The preparation of the integrated urban development plan involves conceptual designs, feasibility studies and proposals to prepare specific master plans for an integrated urban development plan.
3. Information Technology Support for Regional Planning and Economic Development. This initiative will bring together all LGU partners to work collaboratively through a GIS-based land use planning, revenue assessment and planning, thus allowing public officials to make informed planning decisions on local economic development
4. Strengthening Capacity for Local Area Development Partnerships– The proposed program shall provide improved organizational leadership, human resource development (training and skills development in areas such as project leadership, project management, local finance and capital investment programming and marketing facilitation)

ODA In Action
People’s participation for a ‘healthy’ Guimaras
One thing in common and distinct to communities in the Province of Guimaras is families able to better manage their own health and be instrumental in health-related development projects.
Despite the difficulties posed by rising cost of living, locals in five barangays of San Loreanzo, five barangays in Buenavista, five barangays in Jordan, five barangays in Sibunag and four barangays in Nueva Valencia stand as perfect examples of what people’s participation can do to effect change in the community.
Realized through a Small Grant Scheme (SGS) and supported by the Official Development Assistance (ODA), these villages had a year in training and planning that now equipped them with the knowledge they need and improvement of the health facilities and services.
The SGS was designed to strengthen the capacity and ability of these Guimaras communities that enabled them to plan, implement, manage, monitor and evaluate community-based projects. Accordingly, the SGS was the cornerstone for development of strategies that enhanced community-initiatives for health.
There was community diagnosis and health planning, mobilization of community members, trainings and provision of infrastructure system such as water system and toilet facilities.
The program also established linkages between the stakeholders and the agencies involved here.
A completed ODA project for some three years now, Guimaras communities continue to reap the success and grow “healthier” in a program that brought people’s participation and taught them how to do it right and do it best.
Governor JC Rahman Nava, co-chair of the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) was instrumental in bringing this ODA program here.

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